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Okay I know this is an ad – and so I wasn’t expecting much – but it’s really pretty cool. I am at least 50% more likely to buy Icon gear now. Thanks a lot.

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When the front end comes up on my bike, my reaction is “get back down there yer pesky thang!” But I really admire those who have the opposite reaction and decide to go sit on the tank…backwards. Or something.

Check out some cool stunt action in our own backyard in LIC: we don’t have a lot of nice roads for riding – but we do have a bit of cool looking urban blight kept pristine for the film studios nearby. Cheers!

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So GR fans and blogophiles already know that Ghost Rider’s Turbo charged 500hp Busa is being given away to a lucky winner… it brings us to ask, why put a turbo on a 200mph motorcycle? The answer has something to do with pleading insanity, this video, and the joys of a 250 mph motorcycle… Would this make a good city bike? Probably not. But like giraffes and zebras in the wild, it’s nice to know that they exist somewhere… Get a cockpit view of a turbo busa after the jump…

I actually like the sound of the turbo spinning down at shifts – it’s just weird to hear it on a bike…

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It’s amazing what difference a year makes. Even just last year it was hard to comment anything about Stoner without bringing out the critics… But now that he’s been kicking butt with Honda, EVERYONE is a fan. Click over to check out the interview where he answers fan questions from twitter…  Raise your hand if you hear him making remarks about Rossi…hmm, hard to tell.

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Liter bike engineers have been tearing it up these past few years: v-4 in the Aprilia, the crossplane crank in the R1, the monster powered BMW 1000RR with the most hp of any production motorcycle, and the Ninja ZX1000 with its new traction control and engine management… Then there’s the humble CBR. Often the fastest bikes at tracks across the country: but not really doing great in production class racing… It’s the least changed of all the bikes out there. Every year brings a tiny improvement, but there’s no radical electronics package, no traction control, no mega-horsepower. Instead you get something that’s fast and rideable. The thing I like about CBR’s is: anyone can ride them…

I like the sound of this new rear suspension, and the SHOWA big piston forks up front are a welcome addition… I think the 600rr also got the new forks, but I don’t know about the rear: but the 600’s did get…a new paintjob. Which actually looks pretty cool (I think). Take a look at the promo after the jump.

Just paint and plastics…but this is a really big step up from from their tired tony the tiger (red and black) look, and the “tribal” look (which was even worse) from a few years ago.

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Ferrari’s do it.  Two stroke engines sometimes do it.  And four stroke motorcycle engines can do it too.  I don’t understand exactly why, but I’m told that the blue flame indicates that the engine is running lean (not rich like I’d assume), making the exhaust hot enough to ignite the unspent gases.  All I know is I LIKE the way it looks! It’s one thing to pass cars on the road… it’s another thing to spit flames while you’re doing it.

I’m also told that running an engine like this will cause premature wear: so if your bike is spitting flames, then you probably need to jet your carbs or adjust your fuel injection settings.  Good to know…

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If you’re wondering, “hmm do I actually need a radar detector on my bike?”  The answer is “no” – move on…you need to pay attention to the road, and save the speed for the track.

But…if for whatever reason (maybe the police are being used as revenue agents in your town) you’re going to do it anyway, and you have (or plan to buy) a Valentine 1 radar detector, then here’s a simple DIY option that works with the V1 and sportbikes…  And with a little adjustment can work with other radar detectors as well…

There are plenty of good mounting kits you can buy to mount a radar detector to your bars and they have plenty of advantages and will keep your radar detector safer from weather, and maybe even safer in a crash…

Another option for front-only radar is to remove the third light that many sportbikes have and install the radar detector on the fairing bracket (like this guy).  You’ll need a way to hear the audio warnings, or an external alert screen (like for the v1) – but you lose the ability to take your unit easily from car to bike – and on the V1 you lose rear radar detection…  Neither of these were options for me, so here’s my DIY solution:

All you need in addition to the (1) visor clip is a piece of (2) cork form a wine bottle that you can cut to shape, and a (3) piece of 3M dual lock fastener (the kind that comes with your EZPass).

The visor clip on the V1 is pretty large and flexible, but strong enough to handle the bumps. What you need to do is install the dual lock fastener on the inside of the visor clip (allow it to dry overnight to make sure it bonds well to the metal – otherwise the tape might lift off as you remove your unit). Then install a strip of dual lock on your windshield… and voila! You’re almost there.

You could actually ride off like this, but the dual locks can come loose over bumps, and the tension on the metal visor clip winds up working against making good contact. That’s where the cork piece comes in…
The cork helps keep the top of the visor clip flat against the windscreen, and allows the tension of the clip to keep the whole thing in place. You probably can’t glue the cork in place for long, so I run a piece of safety wire through it to make sure it doesn’t pop out. Make sure to test out your setup to see that it’s secure before you take off for any long trips…

Doesn’t this put the radar detector at an angle to the road?

Yes – and technically that should reduce the 4-mile (+) warning range of your Valentine 1 radar detector…  But when I experimented with more level positions, I found that I couldn’t see the alerts when I looked down.  But at the angle that you see it here, I don’t notice a difference in range compared to when I’m using it level in a car…  I’m not saying there’s no difference – just that it’s not a noticeable one in my experience so far…

Some tips on using a radar detector on a motorcycle…

You can’t hear the beeps when you’re on the highway…duh – but you can if you install a “screamer” device or wire up some headphones (which on the V1 requires an extra adapter kit).  But even so, the experience of using a radar detector on a bike is different from driving in a car…  For one, with most motorcycle setups, the radar alerts are not in your field of view: you have to intentionally look at the detector in order to get the visual information.  That means you have to “check” for radar at key points…

Thinking of passing those cars ahead of you after the next bend, but not sure if if highway patrol is on the prowl?  You can look down to make sure the bogey count (the V1 counts how many radar signals are present and tells you the direction it’s coming from) is clear.  If it is clear, you can ride within safe speeds corresponding to traffic – and pass the traffic ahead of you.  That’s the basic idea.

Why the Valentine 1?

This isn’t an ad or a review – but the main benefit of the V1 is that it tells you the direction the signal is coming from.  Get a radar signal from the rear and getting stronger, it’s probably highway patrol catching up somewhere behind you.  Get a radar signal from the front that increases in strength?  It can be highway patrol ahead of you parked on the road.  Or if you have a light radar warning from ahead that stops and falls silent, it could be instant-on radar up ahead, so now is not the time to make any passing moves in traffic.  Without this directional information there are too many radar signals around metropolitan areas for a radar device to be useful…

Safety first…

Although looking down at a radar detector takes the same amount of time as looking down at your speedo, or checking your mirrors – it’s a distraction nonetheless, so you really need to pick your moments with care.  Think of it as a little extra info that’s available to you to clue you in on what’s coming up ahead.

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Remember to buy your tickets online (here) and print them out in advance rather than waiting on the long line at Javits.  Also, you can EM3OFF ($3 off), or EM2, or or also PAULJR. Cheers!

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You know the type, the guy (or gal) who doesn’t ride, but is planning to buy a bike and take the MSF (usually in that order); and says that a 250 isn’t good enough… “How come?” you ask. And their answers usually sound something like these…

1. “I’m over 6 feet tall, and I’d feel weird/be uncomfortable on a small bike.” Of course, that would be a fine reason if it were true.  The Ninja 250 is actually an inch or so LONGER in wheelbase than a CBR600, and the seat height is taller than anything you’ll find on a Harley… And less than an inch shorter than most 600 and 1000cc sportbikes.  In other words, “small 250’s” aren’t physically smaller, they just have smaller lighter engines.

2. “I’m afraid it won’t be fast enough to keep up in crazy NY traffic.” True, it’s probably slower than any 600. But with a 0-60 of less than 6 seconds, and a top speed a little over 100, it’s faster than most of the vehicles on the road.

3. “I don’t want to have to sell the bike to move up to a bigger bike. I’d rather just buy the bike that I want.” Now you probably will want to sell at some point and get a nicer bike… but that will almost always be the case. There will always be a newer, faster, more advanced bike that catches your eye at some point. But having said that, if there’s one bike that any biker (who’s had one) would like to have around as a second bike for rainy days and short commutes, it’s a sporty 250.

Now plenty of people learn to ride on bigger bikes than 250’s, but… so far, I haven’t met anyone who’s a) learned to ride while living in NYC, b) who still rides, and c) rides well, who didn’t start off with either a 250 or a dirt bike… Anyway, just my two cents. Cheers!

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